Vaenar Maiarys
Ser Vaenar Maiarys, also known as the Eternal Champion, was a Dragonlord and a knight of Old Valyria from House Maiarys. He was the first of his name and only child of his father and mother, whose names are not mentioned in the old tales. He was the founder of House Maiarys and most likely its only member, since there's no record of him having any children. Raised from nothing to one of the most powerful and influent men in Valyrian Freehold, Vaenar became a knight of the Valyrian Dragon's Watch at age of fourteen after slaying his former master, Ser Eiryan, after he betrayed Valyria, becoming also the youngest person in known history to be given the title of Ser. His deeds as a knight eventually led him to become both famous and very rich, which culminated with his foundation of House Maiarys. Vaenar was the only person to somehow "become" a Dragonlord by learning how to control a dragon, though it's not clear how that was possible. Appearance and Character As a young child, Vaenar was very different from most of the boys of his age. He was a short boy with a hair of platinum yellow and tanned skin. With time, Vanear grew into a tall, handsome man, with curled hair of a pale gold and tanned skin. He had flashing, unusual yellow eyes that "seems to glow in the dark", and an always present gentle smile that made most people automatically like him. As a Valyrian knight, Vaenar wore a platinum white chainmail armor and a wine red cloak, with a gilded Valyrian steel short-sword and a dragonglass ornated Valyrian steel spear which was given to him as a gift for killing his former master, Ser Eiryan, when the latter betrayed Valyrian Freehold. Unlike most knights, Vaenar never used a helmet since he felt they are too heavy and annoying to handle. Despite that, Vaenar would hardly use wear his armor since he didn't like to use it. Instead, most of the time he could be found wearing a soft leather armor which embroidered with a silver falcon, along with black boots and a pale green cloak. He was known for his ability to dual wield his sword and spear in a very unusual way, what gave him advantage over most people since they were not prepared to handle such a weird fighting style. As the Archlord of the Dragon's Watch, Vaenar would alternatively wear a yellow silk tunic, platinum white cloak and black boots, sometimes with a black feathered hat. Vaenar was a born adventurer, with little interest in politics and court intrigue, though he eventually accepted to join it for currently unknown reasons. He was known to take things such as the good of Valyria very seriously and never back down, even when put in situations where he had to headbutt with other Dragonlords. Despite his titles and fame, he was never arrogant, and most of the common folk supported him due to his willingness to stand for the people of Valyria rather than supporting himself like other Dragonlords. He was quiet, smart, and did never lose his calm. As Master of the Whispers, he would also eventually come to found the Secret Police of Valyria. An inborn adventurer, Vaenar was a great warrior and would often chose to act by himself rather than ordering someone else to do things for him. History Early life No much is known about Vaenar's backstory. His father and mother are never named in the stories about him, but what is known for sure is that he was born in Pentos around the year 170 BC with very little money. He grew up performing simple tasks in order to gather some money, such as delivering letters and helping a cooker to make a soup. He eventually gathered enough to buy himself his very first sword, and most likely had to teach himself to fight. With time, Vaenar challenged and killed several threats to Pentos, such as wild animals and bandits, through which he improved even further his abilities. Even at a young age, Vaenar is said to have been a quick learner. He'd fight anyone who accepted to fight him, and did his best to improve. Throughout unknown circumstances, he'd eventually meet the fearful Khal Ghnor and his khalasar. By challenging him to a duel, Vaenar managed to beat and slay the powerful Khal, proving himself to both the Dothraki and those who watched their fight. One of the people who witnessed their duel was Ser Eiryan Knarim, a knight of Valyria, who was impressed by the boy's skill and accepted to take him as a pupil. As Ser Eiryan's Squire As Ser Eiryan's squire, Vaenar would achieve even greater deeds, most of them aiding his master to fight off the Dothraki attacking Valyrian Freehold. Within a few years he became feared and respected to the Dothraki, who considered him a worth enemy. This attracted the attention of many khalasars, of which Khals fought him in pursuit for glory. Though his greatest victory over the Dothraki would only come many years in the future, Vaenar spent most of his life squire time enhancing his fighting skills through sheer experience. At age of fourteen, Ser Eiryan betrayed Valyria and tried to convince Vaenar to go with him, but the latter refused. As they both fought near the Bone Mountains, Vaenar managed to defeat and slay his former master, in the process recovering precious information stolen by him from Valyria, such as the secret to create Valyrian steel. As a reward, Vaenar was given Eiryan's position as a knight of the Dragon's Watch and a dragonglass ornated Valyrian steel spear. Dragon Fighting Pit Back in the days of Old Valyria, the Dragon Fighting Pit was a hugh circular arena where took place the events known as Dragon Trials. A challenger would have to fight through 37 waves of enemies, ranging from slaves and children to other challengers, gladiators, beasts and knights, in order to win. It was considered by many an impossible challenge, and that's what got Vaenar's attention. Now at age of 22, he decided to take a Dragon Trial. Despite struggles and nearly dying, Vaenar managed to fight through 36 waves, becoming the first person to ever get to the last wave. His last enemy was only revealed to him there: a huge, adult black dragon. Through a fight that those who witnessed described as no less than epic, Ser Vaenar managed to fight the beast and ultimately take it down. From that day on, Vaenar was nicknamed the Eternal Champion, a title many believed was given by the gods to the one chosen by them to save the children of Valyria from a great evil, which also rendered Vaenar the nicknames Saviour of Valyrian Freehold, Vaenar Doomslayer and World Guardian. Alongside his title, he'd also be given money and a title previously held by his former master, Ser Eiryan, the Warden of the West, a title which demanded a noble family. Thus was born House Maiarys of Valyria. The Hero of Pentos Now the Warden of the West, Vaenar once again lived in Pentos. Unlike the Westeros' Kingsguard, those of the Dragon's Watch didn't have an oath forcing them to keep away from politics, and as such Vaenar spent a lot of his time in Valyria as member of the Dragon's Watch, though not most of it anymore. It was around the age of 26 that Vaenar had his greatest fight with the Dothraki, which led him to be known as Dothrakisbane and the Hero of Pentos. The khalasar of Khal Rhaugon attacked Pentos while Vaenar was away. Word quickly spread, and as soon as possible he went west along a huge army in order to stop the Dothraki. The battle was one of the worst in Valyrian Freehold history, but under the leadership of Vaenar, the army was able to fight and drive them outside the city. Vaenar himself went after Khal Rhaugon and they fought, which culminated with Vaenar slaying another Khal of the Dothraki. In that battle Vaenar alone was said to kill over a hundred Dothraki, and Rhaugon was the twelfth Khal killed by him. From this day on, Vaenar would be known as the Hero of Pentos and Dothrakisbane by the Dothraki and Valyrian people. Tales of Old Valyria Elyniam Family